Awaki
Awaki (泡木, Awaki, lit. "Bubble Tree") is a wandering Shinigami that follows his master and teacher Hitō, former Captain of the 12th Division. He is his follower and apprentice. After being found by Hitō alone, he named him Awaki, literally meanining Bubble Tree. Appearance Awaki is a tall, thin, young man with pale golden eyes and black hair that reaches to his shoulders. His side partition lets a large portion of his bangs cover the left side of his face. He wears a long, light blue '' kimono'', a pair of black pants underneath his kimono below the collar, and an orange sash. Underneath his kimono, held by his sash, he has a bamboo jug with soap water, which he uses to blow bubbles with his pipe. He has a small tantō ''covered in bandages. Personality Unlike his master, which is a very spontaneous person, with an outgoing attitude, Awaki, who has always lived exiled from the society (by choice) never really trained his social abilities, trusting only his master Hitō. He is extremely shy when facing others in conversations and rarely looks at their faces. He is, usually, a very quiet person and is very polite to those around him. When asked to help, he does so happily. Furthermore, when he is in danger or when his master is threatened, he enters a very serious mode, with an intention to attack like no else; he turns to a level-headed, practical and a rational thinker. He has no hesitation to help his master, becoming fierce and somewhat ruthless; a testament of his loyalty. At the same time however, he is not timid and is not afraid of objecting to Hitō's decisions or voicing his opinion, especially when he decides to ally with others. He is usually seen blowing soap bubbles on a tree, his favorite hobby. His bubbles also have special powers. Equipment *'Needle Laun''' cher: This device is used by Awaki to launch poisoned needles at his opponents with deadly accuracy. It is comprised of a five part segmented device with barrels on top where the needles are loaded and soaked inside the barrels when the strings are pulled. Wires on the back of these facilitate the launching of the weapons. It is usually kept concealed underneath the sleeve of his kimono on his right hand. *'Bubble Blower': Awaki uses this for his Soap Bubble Kaizō Kidō, to create bubbles for different purposes. It can also be used as a melee weapon in combat as it is very sturdy by showing that it is able to block a Zanpakutō without any apparent damage to it. It's golden in colour and bent in the middle. It also has a tassel attached to it. Powers and Abilities Master Swordsmanship Specialist: As a student and apprentice of Hitō, the former Captain of the 12th Division, Awaki is a very skilled fighter in the swordsmanship abilities. He is able of keeping up with Captain Harumi Hikitsuchi in a small fight with a simple tantō. His skills are fantastic, able of finding holes in the enemy's defense to quickly attack from there. Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: His main resource to fight are his Hakuda skills; he is able of channeling his reiatsu throughout his body in order to create a Hierro-like technique. This technique is strong enough to sustain an Espada's and a Captain's Zanpakutō attack with ease. This shows that he developed the technique for a long time. Kaizō Kidō Expert: Never showed using regular Kidō, Awaki is a very skilled fighter with his own Kidō spells, unique for anyone else. He can channel his reiatsu to his bubbles, creating unique effects. * Kage Sekken '(影石鹸, ''Shadow Soap): Using his bubble-blower, Awaki sends a rush of bubbles toward the enemies, who are encased in a large bubble, which then fills itself up with a black liquid. The bubbles then pop in a black inky splash, killing the enemy and leaving no sign of a corpse behind. *'Awadachi '(泡立ち, Bubbles): Awaki traps the enemy within several bubbles (not inside). The slightest physical contact activate an explosion that can damage the enemy in a very serious way. '''Great Spiritual Power: His reiatsu is compared to that of a Captain. Enhanced Speed: Throughout the long periods of training, Awaki developed a very fast speed, although his Flash Steps were never good enough to catch his master. Shunpo: While its actual level is unknown, his Flash Steps skills are good enough to avoid several attacks from a Captain in a row. Zanpakutō Sanshikisumire '(三色菫, ''Pansy Flower): An ordinary tantō, with a red handle and small oval tsuba. Its blade is quite unnusual, being squared-off. *'''Shikai: Its Shikai release command is "Connect" (接続する, setsuzoku suru). :Shikai's Special Ability: After his Shikai release, Awaki can link different people's senses to himself by using strong feelings of some sort between the people that are being linked to his own senses. The people being connected to Awaki do not have to be near each other in order for this technique to work. The only needed requirement is that Awaki cuts them with his Zanpakutō at least once. He can disable this technique if he intends to. Any sensation (pain, physical stress, etc.) is felt by all three. His Zanpakutō's name is based on this ability, since the pansy flower is related to resemblance, similar to connection. *'Bankai': 'Kankaku Renketsu '(感覚連結, Sensory Link): Unlike most Bankai, his is a sacrifice Bankai. In the moment he activates this technique, the people connected by his Shikai, including Awaki, suffer through an immense pain, that then kills them. Since Hitō trained Awaki, he is the only one that knows his Zanpakutō's spiritual disposition, being unable to deactivate it before the effects kick in. Unfortunately, Hitō is unable to revert the effects. He disagrees of the use of this technique.